


Breathless

by xseobins



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Campfires, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Summer Jobs, Time Skips, but it takes them a while to admit it, they're both whipped the moment they meet each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:48:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25343443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xseobins/pseuds/xseobins
Summary: Changbin, for some reason, finds himself looking back over at the boy in between customers, mesmerized by the way his fingers seem to fly over the laptop’s keyboard. He probably should be worried about the other looking up to find him staring, but really the blonde-haired boy seems so focused on the screen that Changbin doubts he’s even lifted his gaze once since he sat down.or,Chan is staying at his parents' new house over the summer, and he meets Changbin at a coffee shop. They fall in love.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Seo Changbin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 82
Collections: Summer Boy





	Breathless

**Author's Note:**

> This work was written for Day 1: Summer Job and Day 6: Campfire of the Summer Boy Fic Fest. 
> 
> The title is taken from Astro's Breathless, mostly because it's one of my favorite summery songs

Changbin is bored. He had been excited when he first got the job at the small café near the beach, as he really needed to put away some money before going off to college, but now he can’t help but feel envious of his friends spending their days swimming and sunbathing. The job itself isn’t even that bad, it’s just… repetitive, always the same people ordering the same things.

Chan first shows up at the café one early morning towards the end of June, his curly hair looking like he has just rolled out of bed, wearing a simple tank top and a pair of shorts. He orders an iced tea and a slice of lemon cheesecake and sits down at a corner table, grabbing his laptop out of the bag that had been slung over his shoulder. 

Changbin, for some reason, finds himself looking back over at the boy in between customers, mesmerized by the way his fingers seem to fly over the laptop’s keyboard. He probably should be worried about the other looking up to find him staring, but really the blonde-haired boy seems so focused on the screen that Changbin doubts he’s even lifted his gaze once since he sat down. 

Chan keeps going to the café almost every day after that, somehow managing to always show up during Changbin’s shift. And maybe Changbin pays a little more attention to him that what would usually be considered professional, but can he really be blamed? The other boy is honestly adorable, with his eyebrows drawn together as he stares down at his laptop, teeth gnawing on his bottom lip.

A couple of weeks later, Changbin is drying a few cups behind the counter during a lull between customers, and he can’t stop his eyes from wandering over to his by-now-regular customer, sitting at the same corner table as always. 

Changbin isn’t even sure why he does it. He’s never properly talked to the other boy, has barely even taken his order before. Still, when he sees him run his hand through his curls for what is probably the fifth time in the past ten minutes, expression pinching up in something like stress, Changbin finds himself moving almost on autopilot. He plates up a small slice of lemon pie, goes around the counter, and walks over to the boy’s table. 

Chan looks up from his screen when he sees the waiter approach him. He doesn’t remember ordering anything other than the cup of iced tea forgotten on the table, and yet the other boy is clearly heading towards him, a small plate in his hand… 

Chan looks at the other boy, his head tilting slightly to the side. “I don’t think I ordered that…”

“You didn’t. I’m sorry if I’m intruding it’s just- you looked pretty stressed out and I thought you could use something sweet? It’s on the house.” Changbin set the plate down next to his notebook and immediately turned away, ready to head back to the counter, heat rising up to his cheeks,

“Wait” the sound of the other boy’s voice makes him stop in his tracks and spin back around “Thank you, uh…”

“Changbin,” the other says, a small smile gracing his lips. 

“I’m Chan. Thank you, really.” 

It’s like a dam is broken. After that, Chan starts spending even more time at the café, always finding excuses to stay even after he’s finished his work just to talk with Changbin. They surprisingly have a lot in common, both being interested in literature and music. It’s during one of their conversations that Chan lets it slip that he’s only just moved into the town and that the only things he has truly seen are his house, the café, and the stretch of beach in front of it.

“Well that’s just unacceptable” Changbin has a smile playing on his lips as he says this, his eyes already glimmering with excitement “How about I give you a tour?”

“I’d love that.”

\--

And that’s how they find themselves walking along the shoreline a few days later, frozen yogurts in hand. Changbin had spent the afternoon showing Chan some of his favorite places in the small town, from the small park close to his house to the ice cream parlor he always goes to with his friends. 

They’re a bit tired now, limbs heavy from walking around for hours without pause. Neither of the boys can seem to find the energy to start up a conversation, but the silence between them is comfortable, calming.

As the reddish light of the late sunset illuminates the side of their faces, Chan looks at the boy next to him and he’s struck, not for the first time, by just how pretty he looks. The light is making his skin glow, golden, and his dark eyes are almost sparkling as they glance over the horizon. He looks ethereal. 

Maybe Chan is just a bit too distracted by Changbin’s looks, because the younger takes advantage of the moment to dip a finger in the almost empty cup in his hand, before reaching over and swiping it over Chan’s cheek. 

Chan is stunned for a second, mouth gaping as he stands there, looking at the other. It really only lasts for a second though, and as soon as he recovers he’s coating his own fingertip in yogurt and breaking into a run to chase after the other boy, laughing at him a few meters away.

They get a few dirty looks from the people enjoying some relaxing time at the beach, their peace interrupted by the two running boys, but they aren’t bothered by them. They only stop chasing each other once they’re out of breath, hands and arms and cheeks sticky with yogurt. 

And maybe Chan is a bit uncomfortable on the walk back to his house, tissues unable to clean the mess they’d made, but he thinks it was worth it to see Changbin smile and laugh as freely as he had that night.

It becomes their routine, meeting up after Changbin’s shift at the café almost every day, and spending a few hours together walking around the small seaside town. 

A couple of days later they’re lazing around on the floor of Changbin’s bedroom, basking in the air conditioning while watching some cliché action movie. It’s Changbin’s day off, and they had been planning to hang out at a local amusement park, but the weather outside is so swelteringly hot that they decided to stay in instead.

If he’s being honest, Chan isn’t even paying attention to the movie anymore, laying back on his elbows and trying not to be too obvious as he looks at Changbin. The other boy looks unfairly pretty for someone who’s just wearing a t-shirt and some gym shorts, and  
Chan can’t help but let his eyes linger on his stupidly perfect side profile. 

Then suddenly Changbin is turning towards him, reaching over to poke him right below his ribcage. 

“Pay attention!” he says, a teasing smirk on his lips.

And, well, Chan cannot let the younger boy get away with teasing him, now can he? So that’s how he finds himself tickling Changbin, half-straddling his legs and digging his fingers into the other’s sides. 

It’s only when they’re both doubled over from laughter, struggling to catch their breath, that Chan realizes the compromising position he’s put himself in. He is pretty much straddling the other boy’s thighs at this point, and he has his hands resting on Changbin’s waist. Gosh, the younger looks ethereal like this, hair fanning around his face the pillow, his face still a bit flushed from laughing. Chan doesn’t even realize it, but his eyes are drawn to the other’s lips, slightly parted as Changbin takes in heaving breaths. 

They sit there for a few moments too long, staring at each other as the silence is broken only by their breathing and the whirring of the air conditioning until a particularly loud explosion from the tv startles them both out of their daze. Chan scrambles to get off Changbin’s lap, settling back in his previous spot on the floor. Strangely, though, it doesn’t feel awkward, even after the moment is broken. Changbin just scoots closer to him, leans his head against his shoulder, and focuses back on the movie. 

\--

It’s been a few weeks since Chan and Changbin introduced themselves to each other for the first time, and they’ve been spending time with each other almost every day, sometimes exploring Changbin’s favorite places around the town, other times just hanging out at one of their houses for the day.  
It’s a little after 1 a.m now, Chan and Changbin are sitting side by side on the swings in an empty park, barely able to see each other thanks to the yellow glow of a nearby streetlight. The lighter branches of the trees around them are moving thanks to a soft breeze that offers a welcome reprieve from the uncomfortable heat of the day.

“I’ve told you about my friend Minho, haven’t I?” Changbin breaks the silence first, swirling around on his swing and looking at the blonde-haired boy next to him.

“Yeah. I think so?” Chan slows down his movements with his feet, turning to look at the other.

“He’s throwing a party on the beach on Friday, should have a campfire and all. Wanna come?” Changbin’s looking down at his hands, fingers playing with the hem of his tank top. 

“Sure. Honestly, I really need to meet more people our age.” It’s the truth: since coming to stay at his parents’ house at the end of the semester, Chan has only hung out with Changbin or with his younger siblings… he could definitely use some more friends in this place.

Changbin lets out an outraged gasp. “Have you gotten bored of me already? Can’t wait to get rid of me?”

“Well, duh… I obviously don’t like spending time with you.” Chan tries to say this in a serious voice, face schooled into a frown, but his lips are forming a smile before he’s even finished his sentence, and soon both of the boys are doubled over, the sounds of their laughter echoing in the night. 

Minho’s party ends up being exactly what Chan had hoped for, as he gets to meet Changbin’s friends, and he gets along with them immediately. The small stretch of beach is decorated with lanterns and strings of fairy lights, music blaring from the big speakers set up at the sides, and at the center of it all is a campfire with logs of wood placed all around it. 

The night goes by quickly, between introductions, singing, and silly dances. The party has mostly died down at this point, only Minho’s closest friends are still there to enjoy the late-night chill in the air, sitting comfortably around the fire and speaking in low voices. 

Chan and Changbin are leaning against each other with their legs pressed together, and Chan’s hand playing with Changbin’s smaller fingers. The entire night the two boys had been together, laughing and dancing, enjoying each other’s presence. Changbin lifts his head from Chan’s shoulder, looking up at the older boy with a lazy smile. He looks beautiful like that, his features bathed in the reddish glow coming from the fire, eyes crinkling up in contentedness. 

“Are you sleepy?” Chan reaches over to smooth his hand through Changbin’s hair, then letting it rest on the back of his neck, softly playing with the short hair there. 

“Mhm, a bit.” Changbin says, trying to stop a yawn from escaping his lips, “don’t wanna go home yet, though.”

“How about we take a walk instead? See if that wakes you up.” Chan is already getting up as he says this, a teasing laugh leaving his lips as he grabs both of Changbin’s hands and pulls him up as well, struggling a bit as the younger boy tries to resist.

They end up walking slowly along the promenade, hands still tangled together, basking in the cool night air. Chan keeps glancing at Changbin as they walk; the younger boy looks like he has stars in his eyes, small constellations lighting up his gaze as he looks over the horizon. 

Suddenly, though, Changbin stops in his tracks and turns to Chan, staring up into his eyes. Chan’s hand reaches up to rest on the side of Changbin’s cheek, thumb smoothing over his lower lip for just a second, long enough to feel how soft it is, and definitely enough for him to wonder what it would feel like to have it pressed against his own mouth. Chan’s eyes never leave the younger boy’s as he leans down slowly, face inching closer to Changbin’s, pausing for a second to make sure that Changbin is okay with where this is going. 

The younger boy is worrying at his bottom lip with his teeth now, eyes wide, but he gives the other a small nod, and that’s all Chan needs to close the space between them, capturing the other’s lips in his in a soft kiss. It doesn’t last long, more a peck than anything else, but soon they’re both going back for more, and more, and maybe they end up spending the next two hours exchanging kisses and soft confessions, only going back to their respective homes in the earliest hours of the morning. 

Chan doesn’t sleep much that night, or, well, that morning. It’s not that he regrets kissing Changbin, of course he doesn’t, he’s had a crush on the younger boy pretty much since he met him… no, he can’t seem to fall asleep because now that he’s admitted to himself that he might have actual feelings for Changbin, and that he’s realized Changbin might like him back, he cannot stop worrying about what will happen at the end of the summer, when he moves back to his college town.

After all, he is only staying in the small seaside town until the end of August, and he probably won’t be back until Christmas, at the earliest… But Chan doesn’t want the relationship that has been developing between him and Changbin to just end there. It might make him sound like a hopeless romantic, but he definitely doesn’t want to remember this as a summer fling in a few years’ time. So Chan finds himself tossing and turning in his bed for hours, only to give up a little before lunchtime, getting up and putting on a random t-shirt and shorts before going on a walk, hoping to clear his mind a bit. 

As he’s walking around a park near his house, Chan’s phone vibrates with a text notification. It’s from Changbin, the younger boy asking if he wants to go over to his place that night, maybe watch a movie. Chan texts him back saying that he’ll be there at their usual time, but his mind is whirring already with all the things that he should say to the other, and all the things that could go wrong.

No matter how hard he tries, as he’s sitting next to Changbin on the younger boy’s bed, a Marvel movie playing on his laptop, Chan can’t seem to focus on anything but the worry that’s been gnawing at him since the night before. Changbin can probably feel how stiffly he’s sitting when he leans against his side, and he reaches up to run his finger through the older boy’s platinum blonde hair. Changbin inches closer to the other boy, eyes fixated on the other’s plump lips, but as he’s about to close the space between them, Chan moves away.

“Did I- Did I do something wrong?” Changbin’s voice is quiet, eyes searching Chan’s face for a sign of what could have caused the other’s discomfort. 

“No, no of course not, Bin… I just-” he takes a big breath, steadying himself “I just like you, a lot, but I’m only staying here until the end of the month and… and I don’t want to- I don't want to go further if it's only going to be a summer fling.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, I’m sorry… But I’m moving back into the JYU campus in a few weeks and I don’t know when I’m going to be back, and we haven’t known each other that long but-” Chan’s rambling is interrupted by Changbin grabbing a hold of his hand, a smile slowly growing on his lips “Why are you smiling?”

“Did I hear it right? You go to JYU?” 

“Yes..?” Chan’s eyebrows are furrowed, head tilted slightly to the side.

“God, how have we never talked about this before?” Changbin kind of looks like he’s about to smack himself over the head in frustration, and Chan can’t help but smile at that. “I will be attending JYU. We’re going to the same uni.”

“You’re serious?” Chan’s face is lit up by a bright smile, eyes crinkling up a little bit “I’m dumb. I was worrying all night for nothing.” 

“You’re not dumb” Changbin holds the other boy’s face in his hands, bringing him closer so he can press a soft kiss to his nose. “You’re cute. And, maybe… my boyfriend?”

Chan can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of his chest at that, relief washing over him even as his ears turn a bright shade of red. 

“Hey, don’t laugh!” But Changbin’s laughing as well, the sound echoing through the silence in his room.

“I’m not laughing,” Chan murmurs, clearly still laughing, “but yes, Bin, of course, I’d like to be your boyfriend”.

\--

Changbin is late. He was supposed to meet up with Chan in the library half an hour ago, but he got caught up talking to one of his classmates and now he’s almost sprinting towards the other side of campus, heavy bag hanging on his shoulder.  
He texted his boyfriend that he was going to be late, but still, he feels bad making him wait, especially since he knows just how busy the other is with school work and his new job. 

It had been a bit hard adapting to the new routine when Changbin moved into his dorm on campus. He and Chan went from spending hours together every day, to sometimes barely being able to exchange three words in person before one of them had to run to a class or another, but they made it work. It’s been a few months already, and they’re going stronger than ever, their friends going as far as describing them as disgustingly cute.

Changbin almost runs through the library doors, immediately heading towards his and Chan’s usual table. The other boy is already sitting there, as expect, nose buried in a book and headphones over his ears. Changbin sits next to him, leaning over to press a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek before he takes out his own books. Chan lifts his head and gives him a sweet smile, left hand coming to rest against Changbin’s knee before he goes back to reading. It’s nice, this new routine of theirs, and even though it hasn’t been long since things settled down, Changbin feels happier than he has in quite a while.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've written in a very long time, so I apologize if I'm a bit rusty... Still, I hope you enjoyed this, and thanks for taking the time to read! Comments and constructive criticism are very much appreciated <3


End file.
